Al Qaeda, in an attempt to dissuade the Germans from participating in Afghanistan, offered the following proclamation:

[Afghanistan is not] a beer tent to celebrate Oktoberfest in all year round."

Christ, with the 3600-man German contingent in Afghanistan consuming nearly a million pints of beer over the course of a year, it's kind of hard to tell the difference. Nevertheless, the police presence has been increased this month, particularly in Munich, where Oktoberfest is primarily celebrated. Indeed, only a dastardly organization like al Qaeda would seek to defile a holiday dedicated to drinking beer. Fortunately, there's an upside to the threats and increased police presence:

Susanne Seitz, 30, a communications manager from Munich in a black "dirndl", a traditional southern German dress, agreed: "It won't spoil the party, people are having just as good a time as they have always done."

"The police are clearly doing all they can to protect us, but if it happens, I don't think there is really very much anyone can do about it," Seitz told AFP.

"On a lighter side, police have virtually stopped fining people for being drunk on their bikes or not having their lights on while cycling, they seem to be more pre-occupied about catching the terrorists."